Terms of Use | He died on 27 July 2003 after having pneumonia. Dolores Hope, the radiant wife of comedian Bob Hope, died peacefully Monday morning at her home in Toluca Lake, Calif., a family friend confirms to PEOPLE. These are Bob Hope Airport, Our Lady of Hope, and Library of Congress’s Bob Hope Gallery. But do you know how much is Bob Hope’s net worth in 2020 and how old was he? She was a Catholic and a proud member of St. Charles Borromeo Church in North Hollywood, where she gave much time and financial help over the years to various parish causes including the building of the Lady of Hope chapel and the Holy Family Social Service Center. He also had one of the longest show-business marriages on record — he was wed to singer Dolores Reade Hope for 69 years until his death at age 100 in 2003. Mostly, the book alleges, Hope enjoyed one-night stands with showgirls and beauty queens — avoiding romantic entanglements with his beautiful co-stars in movies, who included such actresses as Lucille Ball, Jane Russell, Madeleine Carroll, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine and Dorothy Lamour. “Dolores became their mother. He was 100 years old at the time of his death. Curvy actress-singer Marilyn Maxwell was Hope’s girlfriend from around 1950 to 1954, according to the book, co-starring with him in the movies “The Lemon Drop Kid” (above) and “Off Limits’’ as well as touring with his vaudeville act and USO shows. What they needed was Raquel Welch.”, Years later, when it was suggested that Mr. Hope might have felt some professional jealousy of his wife’s talents on that occasion, he replied in character, telling The San Diego Union-Tribune, “After that, she had the nerve to sit in my spotlight at the breakfast table when we got home.”. EMAIL ME. She grew up in the Bronx and changed her last name to Reade when she began a career as a nightclub singer. Bob Hope was a legendary stand-up comedian and actor who have won several awards in his career. by Mrs. Hope, a Roman Catholic, received many humanitarian awards for her charitable work, much of it on behalf of Catholic charities benefitting the poor. Hope, William Kelly Francis Hope, Eleanora Hope). His mother was a light opera singer and his father was a stonemason. Bob Hope started earning money when he was just 12 years old. Born in Harlem on May 27, 1909, Dolores was singing at the Vogue Club in Manhattan under the stage name Dolores Reade when she was introduced to Hope, then a rising Broadway star. His first full-length movie was ‘The Big Broadcast of 1938’ in 1938. Overlapping with this was his movie career, spanning 1934 to 1972, and his USO tours, which he conducted from 1941 to 1991. Her death was announced by her publicist, B. Harlan Boll. He was the son of Avis Townes and William Henry Hope. Your Ad Choices She continued her singing career during the early years of their marriage, often appearing in Mr. Hope’s vaudeville shows, but she largely retired to bring up their four adopted children. Hope made her last visit to the servicemen and servicewomen during Operation Desert Storm, performing “White Christmas” from the back of a truck in the middle of the Saudi desert. But some of his affairs were of longer duration, Zoglin writes, and involved higher-profile women, a few of whom he worked with — and who sometimes met unhappy ends: “Hope claimed to a friend years later that he and Day had a brief romantic fling while they were touring together [raising funds for the March of Dimes, above] in 1949,’’ Zoglin writes. Bob Hope appeared in or hosted almost 200 USO performances, including annual Christmas tours for 35 consecutive years. You have entered an incorrect email address! Dolores DeFina was born on May 27, 1909, in Harlem, the daughter of John Thomas DeFina and the former Theresa Kelly. As the ‘family’ that accompanied Bob Hope, she had a unique ability to lift the spirits of our troops and their families.”. “Hope’s intimate relationship with Maxwell was well-known to most of the people who worked with him,’’ Zoglin writes. Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist. He is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Medal of Arts, Congressional Gold Medal, and the Order of the Sword. He has received several honorary Academy Awards including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. She told John Lahr in a 1998 profile of Bob Hope in The New Yorker, “It never bothered me, because I thought I was better-looking than anybody else.”, Dolores Hope, Singer and Bob Hope’s Widow, Dies at 102. His mother was a light opera singer and his father was a stonemason. Hope moved to Bristol before emigrating with his parents to the USA in 1908. They built a home in Toluca Lake, where she lived until her death, and were longtime members of the Lakeside Golf Club, where she was runner-up to the women’s club champion for several years. He used to perform in the public and was also a boxer. In the 1980s, his net worth was $200 million and at a time it was also $700 million. In 2008, the Ladies Professional Golf Association honored her, an avid golfer, for contributions to women’s golf. Zoglin’s book reveals Hope “quietly sent her money in the years before her death’’ in 1976 at age 65. After he crowned the Welsh beauty Miss World of 1961 (above), Hope “took Frankland on his 1961 Christmas trip to the Arctic, supported her when she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a film career and gave her a small part in his 1965 movie ‘I’ll Take Sweden,’ ’’ Zoglin writes. Dolores DeFina Hope, a singer, philanthropist and the wife of the late, legendary comedian Bob Hope, died Monday of natural causes at her Toluca Lake home in Los Angeles. Both the CDs and the singing engagement were critical hits. At the time, Murphy and Hope were starring in the Jerome Kern-Otto Harbach musical comedy “Roberta” at the New Amsterdam Theater. The Hopes moved to California in the late 1930 so that Bob could pursue his film and radio careers. As she admitted, she paid to produce the CDs herself, “but it’s better than buying another piece of jewelry,” she said with a laugh. He has been honored with many medals, titles, tributes, memorials, and designations. Bob Hope. However, they divorced a year later. Hope, by then a famous radio comedian, began entertaining American servicemen overseas for the USO – and his wife often made the trips with him, sleeping on their coats and never complaining about the discomforts. Dolores was founding president of the hospital and involved in the building and decor of the hospital. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Zoglin writes that Dolores Hope, a devout Catholic who had adopted four children with Hope [seen together in his native England in 1994, above], was “almost certainly’’ aware of his affairs. The Hopes adopted four children, and Dolores became an advocate for adoption, serving on the board of Holy Family Adoption Services in Los Angeles. Mike Barnes Survivors include her children Linda Hope of Toluca Lake and William Kelly Hope of Oakland, Calif.; her grandchildren Zachary Hope, Miranda Hope and Andrew Hope Lande; and great-grandson Kai Smith. His other acting credits include ‘The Simpsons’, ‘The Muppet Movie’, ‘A Global Affair’, ‘A masterpiece of Murder’, and ‘A Century of Cinema’. Zoglin quotes her biographer as saying, “She followed Hope around the country, moved into a furnished apartment that he rented for her in Hollywood, and when the affair ended in August, was paid off by Hope to keep quiet about it. The former singer was 102 and had been in good health until recently. Hope had a “fairly open affair’’ with Halloran, a member of his publicity staff who accompanied him on a trip to Russia in 1958, Zoglin reveals. Dolores Hope, who gave up her singing career to spend 69 years at the side of her husband, Bob Hope, pursuing philanthropy and projecting with him … Bob Hope had encounters with Joey Heatherton (1965 - 1966) and Barbara Payton (1949).. Bob Hope is rumoured to have hooked up with Janis Paige (1953 - 1954), Gloria DeHaven (1953), Jeanne Carmen and Marilyn Maxwell.. About. TWITTER We have prepared this article for you not only about details of Bob Hope’s career, professional life and personal life, but also about his net worth, age, height, weight and more facts. In 2000, Bob Hope suffered from intestinal bleeding and was hospitalized. New York: Putnam, 1982. Faith, William Robert. Bob Hope: A Life in Comedy. Your California Privacy Rights Sitemap They also had several grandchildren. She was 102 and had been in relativity good health until the past few months. While Bob traveled continuously, she kept adding on to their homes in Palm Springs and Toluca Lake (in the San Fernando Valley), which prompted her husband to quip when he got back from one trip, “Hey, I need a map.”. He was the son of Avis Townes and William Henry Hope. Comedy legend Bob Hope was a top star in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio, in movies, on TV and through decades of USO tours around the world. Looking for some great streaming picks? On a Christmas tour during the Vietnam War, she sang “Silent Night” to the troops, bringing many to tears. He also had one of … . She sometimes accompanied her husband on his tours entertaining American armed forces overseas. People continue to remember this man through his great work as well as his contribution to various organizations. “When they returned home to Burbank, Dolores was at the airport to greet them, giving Bob an ostentatious welcome-home hug. Dolores DeFina Hope, a singer, philanthropist and the wife of the late, legendary comedian Bob Hope, died Monday of natural causes at her Toluca Lake home in Los Angeles. She and Mr. Hope were married the following year. For More Information Curtis, Jenny. She considered herself a political independent. Comedian Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, London, England, the fifth of seven sons of Avis (Townes), light opera singer, and William Henry Hope, a stonemason from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Privacy Notice He was a part of the comic book called ‘The Adventures of Bob Hope’. She was an actress, known for Soup for Nuts (1934), There Were Times, Dear (1985) and The Christophers (1952). He has been in relationships with Veronica Lake and Barbara Payton. The real name of Bob Hope was Leslie Townes Hope. In 2008, she was honored by the Ladies Professional Golf Association with its Patty Berg Award for her contributions to women's golf, and she and her husband served as hosts of the PGA's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic golf tournament in the desert for years. Mr. Hope promptly sent his wife back to the United States. Today his films have been cult classics which were one box office toppers. . Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Your California Privacy Rights As of 2020 (At the time of his death), his estimated net worth was $150 million. It was settled out of court. She was appearing at the Vogue Club in Manhattan under that name in 1933 when the actor George Murphy took Bob Hope to see her. Bob Hope died in 2003, age 100, and is buried in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery. “The lack of any record of the Hopes’ marriage (not even a wedding photo) led some Hope family members to speculate over the years that a wedding may never have taken place.’’. Day [now 90] never commented on the alleged affair.’’. In June 2000 Hope spent six days in the hospital because of internal bleeding. He was also a part of many radio shows. According to Hope, Day saw the gesture as a wife’s symbolic marking of her territory, and she ended the relationship then and there. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Several popular names paid tribute to the legendary actor. He has also received a number of honorary degrees from several countries. In 1993, when Mr. Hope, who was six years her senior, had semiretired, she recorded her first album, “Now and Then,” a collection of prewar hits and more recent songs. Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more. Bob Hope with his wife, Dolores, are seen here circa 1939. Services will be private, with burial next to her husband at the Bob Hope Memorial Garden in the San Fernando Mission in Mission Hills, Calif. © 2020 The Hollywood Reporter